Welcome Aboard, Mr Halpert
by guster73
Summary: Documentary? What documentary? It's 2001, and James Duncan "Jim" Halpert has landed a job as a salesman for Dunder Mifflin, a mid-range paper company, in his hometown of Scranton.
1. I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here

**Hey! This is my first time writing any kind of fanfiction, so any feedback would be awesome. This story begins from Jim's first day at Dunder Mifflin Scranton in 2001, and will basically follow his life in the office. It goes without saying that the Jim/Pam relationship will be a big part of this story, but it will also include encounters with Dwight, Michael and the rest. Enjoy!**

_"We all live under the same sky_

_We all will live, we all will die_

_There is no wrong, there is no right_

_The circle only has one side"_

The day was September 17, 2001, the time was 8:42 A.M., and "Side" by Travis graced the radio as James Duncan "Jim" Halpert turned into Scranton Business Park in his maroon Toyota Corolla. There weren't many spaces available, but he managed to squeeze in on the end, next to a 1987 Pontiac Trans Am. Jim turned the engine off, and enjoyed the silence for a few moments before glancing at his rearview mirror, raising his head up as he straightened his brown tie.

Once he was satisfied, Jim took a deep breath, before grabbing his canvas messenger bag from the passenger seat, lifting the strap over his head and onto his left shoulder. He opened the door and stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. As he strolled through the car park, Jim's head became filled with the same questions he had been asking himself since getting the good news ten days ago:

"_Am I gonna like my co-workers?"_

"_Are my co-workers gonna like me?"_

"_What's my boss gonna be like?"_

His main concern, however, was:

"_Am I gonna like it here?"_

"Hey!"

Jim, caught off guard, quickly turned to his right and saw a girl, smiling politely as she approached him, wearing a pink sweater over a white pinstripe shirt with a charcoal knee-length skirt as her curly hair rested on her shoulders. Jim hardly noticed any of those things though, as his eyes immediately locked with hers, and he thought:

_"Wow."_

"Hey!", Jim replied with a smirk to the complete stranger, who was now stood beside him. "I haven't seen you around here before. You must be Jim, right? Halpert?", she asked. "Yeah," Jim replied with a slight nod of the head. "This is my first day... you are?"

"Pam Beesly. I'm the receptionist here. It's not as exciting as it sounds, trust me."

Jim and Pam shared a laugh. The first of many, Jim hoped.

"Michael's pretty excited that someone new is starting here," Pam said. "I heard a little about him at my interview," Jim responded, as a smirk began to emerge on his face. "Sounds like he's, uh... _really_ something." Pam laughed for a few seconds, widening Jim's smile greatly, before exhaling.

"I like your car," Pam said, as she glanced at Jim's Corolla. "Thanks," Jim replied graciously, taking a brief look over his shoulder at it himself. "I'm still paying off my tuition, so I'll be driving it for a _long _time."

"Where did you go to college?", Pam asked curiously. "Scranton," Jim quickly replied. "You?"

"Marywood," Pam said. "Let's go inside. I'll fill you in about the rest of the office on the way." "Sounds good," Jim responded with a smile, tucking his hands inside his pockets, before they walked side-by-side towards the building. Jim took a quick glance at Pam, before looking forward and thinking to himself:

"_I think I'm gonna like it here."_


	2. Enjoy This Moment

"I'll get that for you," Jim said as he reached forward, opening the door for Pam. "Thank you," she said with a smile and a nod of the head, which Jim replicated in kind, before entering the building with Jim in tow.

"Hi, Hank!," Pam said, waving at the man sat behind the desk. "This is Jim. It's his first day here." Jim gave an awkward wave to Hank, who half-heartedly nodded his head at the two of them, before walking away with Pam.

"That's Hank," Pam explained. "He's the security guard here." "I was wondering why you called him Hank," Jim replied with a smirk, getting a giggle out of Pam, as they approached the elevator doors. They waited for a few short moments, both with smiles on their faces, before the doors opened and they stepped into the elevator.

"How long have you worked here for?", Jim asked. "Just over a year," Pam responded. "It's definitely not what I want for a career, though." "Well, what _do _you want for a career?" Jim enquired. "I'm really into art," Pam replied, looking at the ground. "I did some in college, but I don't know, I mean..." Pam trailed off.

"Well, it's better to be at the bottom of a ladder you wanna climb than half-way up one you don't," Jim said. Pam looked at him and smiled. "But if there's nobody else in the office that I like, please don't quit until I do." Pam laughed again. Jim thought to himself:

"_Man, I love her laugh."_

The elevator doors opened. Jim let Pam walk out first, before following behind her. "I'll be surprised if you like Michael," Pam said. "Hardly anyone does. Phyllis and Stanley are nice. They're in sales too. You'll probably get along with Kevin in accounting. Pretty much everybody is fine, although Angela can be a little… _stubborn_."

Before walking through the door to the office, Pam stopped, turning around to face Jim, who looked confused. "Oh, I almost forgot," Pam said. "Enjoy this moment, because you're never going to go back to this time before you met your desk-mate, Dwight."

"Alright," Jim said with a smile, nodding his head. "Thanks for the heads up, Pam."

"_I think I'm falling for her."_

Pam giggled, before turning back around. Jim reached forward, grabbing the door handle and again opening it for her. "Thanks," Pam whispered, before walking through it. Jim followed, stepping into the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office for the first time.


	3. Welcome To The Family

**Been super busy lately, so this took longer to finish and post than I thought it would. But here we go! Enjoy.**

"That's me," Pam said as she pointed to her desk at the front of the office. "And this… is you."

Pam presented Jim with his desk, adorned with a large computer monitor, mouse and keyboard, and a phone. Suddenly, a black-haired, relatively short man burst through a door, rushing towards the pair.

"Good morning, good sir!", he exclaimed in a poor English accent, enthusiastically extending his hand to Jim. "Hey!", Jim said with a smile, shaking his hand. "You must be Master James Halpert," he said. "Call me Jim," Jim replied.

"Now, I know what you're thinking," the man said, as a perplexed look emerged on Jim's face. "You're thinking 'wow, he seems pretty laid back, he's cool, he must, I don't know… work in accounting or something boring like that. Well believe it or not, I'm the _regional manager_ here!" Jim and Pam glanced at each other, trying not to laugh. "So _you're _Michael Scott," Jim said out loud. In his head, he said:

"_It all makes sense now."_

"Yep, that's me, the _biiiiig _boss man," Michael said. "But if you call me boss, I'll fire you on the spot. I'll put a box on your desk, and you can just… pack your things and get the hell outta' here, man." Jim's eyes widened, surprised by that statement. "KIDDING!", Michael shouted, cracking up in laughter, before regaining his composure.

"But seriously, above all else, I'm friend, a _best _friend many might say, to everybody in the office, so just call me Michael. Or Mike. That hasn't really caught on yet." The three of them were approached by another man. He had middle-parted hair, thick-rimmed glasses, and wore a brown jacket and pants, a mustard-coloured collar shirt and a striped tie.

"Who is that, Michael?", the man enquired, looming over Michael with a stern look on his face. He turned to Jim. "Who are you?", he asked. "I'm Jim," Jim replied, extending his hand. "It's my first day here." The two of them shared a brief handshake. "Dwight Schrute, best salesman in the company" he said proudly, as Michael rolled his eyes.

"So _you're_ the new guy… average build… certainly _above_-average height…." Jim and Pam looked at each other, their facial expressions doing the talking:

"_Can you believe this guy?"_

"_I told you so."_

"Cut it out, Dwight!", Michael snapped, as Dwight stopped inspecting Jim and hurried back to his desk. "Man, what a nutjob, huh?", Michael whispered to Jim and Pam, who both immediately sensed the irony in Michael making that statement. "He should take the bus to work… must use a lot of fuel driving all the way from crazytown." Michael laughed, exceedingly proud of his joke, as Jim and Pam forced themselves to laugh as well.

"Just so you know, that desk you're gonna be sitting at? That used to be _my_ desk," Michael said with pride, looking over at Jim's desk. "Sat there every day for nine years, makin' sales, until Ed Truck retired this year, so they gave me the keys to the car and a big, fancy office of my own. No pressure, just tryin' to inspire, that's what I do." Jim nodded his head, pretending to agree.

"What do you say I take you on a tour of the office?", Michael asked. "Uh, sure," Jim said, delighting Michael, who turned his back to Jim and pumped his fist twice, making a sound reminiscent of a train. "ALL ABOARD!", Michael exclaimed, catching a few of the other workers off guard.

Jim looked at a giggling Pam with puppy-dog eyes, shaking his head, clearly not wanting to embark on this 'tour'. "Have fun!", Pam said, before walking over to her desk.

Michael proceeded to take Jim around the office, showing him around and introducing him to his new work colleagues. Everybody appeared to be friendly enough; Angela's stubbornness, as Pam put it in the elevator, wasn't evident quite yet. He was, however, a little uncomfortable with Michael stating that Stanley, who worked in sales, had an "urban vibe" which gave an "edge" to the office, and especially with his belief that Catherine, the customer service representative, "wanted him bad."

Once the tour had concluded, they headed into Michael's office, Jim taking a seat in front of Michael's desk. As Michael took a seat, Jim found himself a little taken aback by how many toys there were on the desk.

"So, Jim… how d'ya like Dunder Mifflin Scranton?", Michael asked, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. "Seems like a good place to work," Jim replied. So far, nothing suggested to him that it wouldn't be a good place to work, but then again, he had barely been here for twenty minutes. "Well, you know what they say, a workplace is only as good as its boss," Michael said with a grin.

"_Pretty sure that's not an expression."_

"OH! You know what would be a great idea?", Michael said, almost jumping out of his chair. "What?", Jim asked. "You'll see," Michael answered, quickly standing up. "C'mon." Michael opened the door and walked out of his office, Jim getting up and walking out afterwards, standing next to Michael. Michael cleared his throat loudly, grabbing the attention of the office.

"Alright everybody, by now you've all been introduced to our new employee extraordinaire, Jim Halpert," Michael said, as a few nodded their heads. "But y'know what? That's not enough. We need to _really_ welcome Jim to the Dunder Mifflin family, so everybody in the conference room, five minutes!" Michael ended his speech with an emphatic clap of his hands before turning on his heel and walking back into his office, as Jim thought to himself:

"_Oh, God."_


	4. Any Questions?

"As you all know, here at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, we are a family. And today, our family is growing. So without further ado, Jim Halpert… the floor is yours."

After his brief opening speech, Michael took a seat at the end of the row of chairs on the side in the conference room, as a nervous Jim stepped forward, the eyes of his new co-workers all squarely on him. His gaze was immediately drawn towards Pam, who was smiling at him but had the misfortune of sitting next to Michael.

"Hey everybody," Jim said, waving awkwardly. "I'm Jim, I'm gonna be working in sales, and uh… that's probably all you wanna know about me, so I'll wrap it up there." Jim got a few laughs from the room with that comment, as a slight smirk appeared on his face. "No!", Michael exclaimed, standing up and shaking his head.

"Jim, these are your best friends, you're gonna see these people every single day for the rest of your life," Michael said, oblivious to how ludicrous his statement was. "We need to know everything about you. Here's an idea, everybody ask Jim a question! Anything you want! How about it, Jimbo?"

"_Jimbo?"_

"Uh, sure," Jim said reluctantly. Kevin, the accountant, put his hand up. "Yes, Kevin, good!", Michael said. "Favorite food?", Kevin asked. "Soft shell crab," Jim replied confidently. "Nice," Kevin replied with a wry smile. "Favorite movie?", Phyllis asked. "I'd probably have to go with The Godfather," Jim said, eliciting a few nodding heads in the room.

"How much experience do you have in sales?", Dwight asked, putting a damper on the relatively informal nature of the questions. "Nice question, Dwight," Jim said, somewhat sarcastically. "I worked part-time in Gerrity's during college and I'd been waiting tables between graduating and getting this job, so-"

"Where did you go to college?", Dwight interrupted. "Scranton," Jim quickly retorted. "Why did you apply for this job?", Dwight followed up, continuing to interrogate Jim. "It's close to home… uh, the money's pretty good for a college graduate…" Michael promptly stood up, waving his arms.

"Alright, that's enough, Dwight," he said. "Stop monogamising the conversation. This is for everyone." Jim and Pam looked at each other, in disbelief at how Michael just confused 'monopolising' with 'monogamising'.

"I have an idea, how about you tell us a s_ecret? _Preferably one you've never told anybody before," Michael said. "Uh, yeah, I'm not gonna do that," Jim replied, looking uncomfortable. "Too soon? Alright, we'll get there," Michael said. "OOH! Kinda important question, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No, I don't," Jim replied, glancing at Pam afterwards. "That's great! Neither do I! We can be each other's wingmen!", Michael exclaimed enthusiastically. "I thought I was your wingman, Michael," Dwight interjected.

"No, Dwight, we went out together _once, _and you made the girl I was trying to sleep with leave by shouting at her because she didn't know where paper came from," Michael snapped. "She wasn't right for you, Michael, clearly you had nothing in common," Dwight said, trying to defend himself. "I wasn't looking for my future wife, Dwight, I was trying to get _LAID!_", Michael exclaimed. Dwight's head dropped.

"Alright, I think that'll just about do it," Michael said, after several moments of awkward silence. "Everybody back to work."

Everyone got up from their chairs and swiftly left the conference room. Pam hung back to talk to Jim.

"Welcome to Dunder Mifflin Scranton, Jimbo," Pam said, laughing. "Please don't call me that ever again," Jim said jokingly, as they walked out of the room together. Actually, he didn't mind what she called him. "Oh, and _please _make sure I never have to be Michael's wingman."

"I'll try, but I don't know, he _is _our boss," Pam replied with a smile. Jim smiled back at her.

"Well, I guess I'd better get to work," Jim said, approaching his desk. "Have fun with your new best friend," Pam responded, referring to Dwight, who was at his desk, engrossed in whatever was on his computer screen.

Jim shook his head, albeit with a smirk, at Pam, who giggled, before walking away to her desk, as Jim took his seat at his. Moments later, the phone rang at reception. Jim looked over as Pam picked it up.

"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam."


	5. Quitting Time

It was 4:59. After the rather uncomfortable meeting in the conference room this morning, Jim had enjoyed a solid but uneventful first day at Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Now, all he could think about was going home. Jim yawned.

"Why are you yawning?"

Jim looked at Dwight, whose eyes were fixated on him, waiting for an answer. "Just tired, Dwight," Jim replied with a sigh, having endured this behavior from Dwight all day.

"Well you shouldn't be," Dwight said. "I've worked much harder than you today, and I'm not tired at all. You should try going to sleep earlier."

"Maybe I will," Jim muttered as he looked back at his computer screen. "QUITTING TIME, FOLKS!", Michael exclaimed, bursting through his office door and clapping his hands together loudly. Everyone in the office proceeded to leave their desks, saying goodnight to each other as they filtered out of the office one by one.

Jim put his jacket on, before standing up from his desk and grabbing his bag, lifting it over his shoulder. "Later, Jim," Kevin said as he walked past him. "Later, Kev," Jim replied. They had bonded over Philadelphia sports teams in the break room earlier.

Michael approached him. "So, good first day?", Michael asked. "Yeah, pretty good, thanks," Jim replied. "Do you wanna go out for a beer or something? Watch some kind of sports... thing?", Michael enquired, moving closer to Jim.

"That sounds great, I can't tonight, though," Jim responded. "Some time though, definitely." Jim didn't have anything going on tonight. He could easily have gone out for a beer with Michael. He found him a little overbearing, though.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that!", Michael said with a grin, before turning around and walking back into his office.

Jim walked towards the reception desk, where Pam was preparing to leave. "Hey," Jim said. "Hey! How'd you like your first day?", Pam asked. "Not bad," Jim replied. "Hey, do you-"

"Hey, babe!"

Jim was cut off as a stocky, brown-haired man wearing a warehouse uniform approached them, grabbing Pam by the waist and kissing her. Jim's heart sunk. Some other guy just did what he'd been thinking about doing all day.

"_I was about to ask her out for dinner tonight. Man, would THAT have been awkward."_

"You ready to go?", the man asked. "Yeah," Pam said with a smile on her face. "This is Jim, he just started here today. Jim, this is my boyfriend, Roy. He works in the warehouse."

"_She has a boyfriend."_

"'Sup, buddy? Good to meet ya'," Roy said, extending his hand. "You too, man," Jim responded, shaking Roy's hand.

"Let's go, I'm starving," Pam said, gazing at Roy. "Alright," Roy replied, leading her away. "Catch you later, man," he said to Jim. "Bye, Jim!", Pam said, looking over her shoulder and waving.

Jim waved back, doing his best to smile. He damn sure wasn't smiling on the inside, though.

Michael walked out of his office. "Hey, Michael," Jim said, grabbing his attention. "You still wanna get a beer?"

Lord knows he needed one.


	6. Cold As Ice

**Thanks for the feedback, Julia and Idnaoj80, hugely appreciated. Idnaoj, this will indeed be AU.**

"For Jim Halpert, one beverage of the ice-cold variety!"

Returning from the bar, Michael placed two bottles of beer on the table, either side of a bowl of nachos, before taking a seat opposite Jim. Jim didn't anticipate his first day of work ending with a beer with his new boss at Poor Richard's, but here he was.

As soon as he took his seat, Michael grabbed his bottle, raising it slightly in the air. "To Dunder Mifflin Scranton… and new beginnings," Michael proclaimed with a toast. Jim accepted the toast, as their bottles clinked together, before they both took an extended sip.

"I'm glad we're doing this," Michael said, with a mouthful of nacho. "All the time I'm asking people in the office if they wanna hang out, get a beer, and they always shoot me down. I thought you were gonna be one of 'em too."

In that moment, Jim looked past Michael's buffoonish antics in the office, and saw somebody who just wanted to have some fun with his employees. He was glad he took Michael up on his offer.

"What about Dwight? I can't imagine him turning down a beer with you," Jim said with a grin. Michael snickered, before shaking his head. "It's different with Dwight. _I_ have to say no to _him_," he said. "Dwight is just… _blegh_. Give it time, you'll see what I mean."

"I think I already do," Jim said. "You and Pam seem like pretty good friends already though," Michael remarked. Jim felt his heart beat faster when he heard Pam's name, and at first a slight smirk appeared on his face, before he heard that dreaded word:

"_Friends."_

"Yeah," a somewhat deflated Jim replied. "She's nice." Jim, remembering what drove him to come here in the first place, took an extended sip from his beer. "She's dating somebody in the warehouse," Michael said. "I think his name's Ryan, or Randy, or…"

"Roy," Jim interjected. Jim's stomach turned just by saying Roy's name. He hadn't done anything to make Jim hate him. As a matter of fact, he seemed like a pretty nice guy in their brief meeting earlier. He just happened to be standing between him and the girl he almost immediately fell in love with this morning.

"Yeah, him," Michael said. "They've been dating since high school. Poor guy will never know what it's like playing the field."

The idea of Pam and Roy being together forever only made Jim more uncomfortable, so he quickly changed the subject to how Michael got his start at Dunder Mifflin. They continued to talk, mostly about work-related things, whilst finishing off their beers and nachos.

Once they were done with their refreshments, Jim and Michael got up from their table and left Poor Richard's, bidding each other adieu until the morning, and informally agreeing to go out on a Friday night in the future, as opposed to a Monday, so they can "_really_ party Dunder Mifflin-style", as Michael put it, before going their separate ways.

The next morning, Jim pulled into Scranton Business Park at 8:48 A.M. for his second day of work. Unlike the day before, this time Jim walked into the building alone, walked past Hank the security guard alone, and took the elevator up alone.

Jim walked into the office, and was greeted by a smiling Pam at the reception desk, immediately brightening his day. "Hey!", Pam said. "Hey," Jim replied with a smile. "You will _never_ guess what I did last night."

"Tell me," Pam said. "Alright," Jim said. "I got a beer… at Poor Richard's… with Michael." Pam's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "No way!", Pam whispered, albeit rather loudly. "How? Did he pay you?"

Jim laughed. "No, he didn't pay me," he verified, further surprising Pam. "He did buy the beer and nachos, though."

"I dare you to tell Dwight," Pam whispered, giggling, as they both looked over at Dwight, sat at his desk adjusting the position of one of his many bobbleheads on his desk.

"Oh that's _cold_, Pam. Ice cold," Jim said with a grin. "Almost as ice cold as the beer I had with Michael last night. I'm so using that one on Dwight." Pam burst out laughing, making Jim smile even more. He was joking about it now, but Michael was actually pretty good company last night.

He just wasn't the company that Jim wanted.


	7. The Prank

Bored out of his mind, Jim stared at his computer screen, his head resting against the palm of his hand. Eventually, out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dwight staring at him with a smirk on his face, waiting for Jim to notice. Jim succumbed, turning to face Dwight.

"What?"

"How many sales have you made today?", Dwight asked, doing his best to stop his smirk from turning into a full-blown smile. "Not as many as you, I'm guessing," Jim replied. "Well… if you _do_ wanna make a sale… maybe you should give Stone, Cooper and Grandy a call," Dwight said.

"You mean the guys you just made a sale to on the phone?", Jim asked. Dwight nodded his head, grinning. Jim rolled his eyes, shaking his head before looking back at his computer screen.

"_My God, he's annoying."_

Michael walked out of his office with his hands in his pockets. "Hey Michael," Dwight said, gaining Michael's attention. "I got Stone, Cooper and Grandy!". "Good work, Dwight," Michael said as he tried to walk past Dwight and Jim's desk and towards the break room, but Dwight promptly stood up and blocked his path, holding his hand up for a high-five.

"Please, Michael," Dwight whispered. "I did it for you." Jim spun around in his chair and shot a perplexed look at Pam, who looked equally puzzled.

"Alright, alright," Michael said with a sigh, and high-fived Dwight, giving the latter a lot of satisfaction, before walking away. Dwight sat back down at his desk, punching the air in victory. Moments later, Jim got up and walked over to the reception desk. Pam turned away from her computer screen and towards Jim, greeting him with a smile.

"It's 9:44 A.M. and I'm officially sick of Dwight already," Jim said, making Pam laugh. "I'm impressed that you lasted as long as you did," Pam retorted.

"I have an idea," Jim announced in a hushed tone to Pam. "What is it?", she asked with great interest, leaning forward. "We… send Dwight… on a fake sales call," he whispered. Pam's eyes lit up, and she nodded her head enthusiastically.

"I'll use my cell to call him pretending to be somebody interested in buying paper, and I'll give him an address for somewhere really far away that absolutely does _NOT _need paper from us," Jim said, looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody could hear him. "Like… I don't know, Chuck E. Cheese or somewhere like that."

"Philadelphia's a two-hour drive," Pam said. "Can you wait until we're on break? I don't wanna miss this." "Sure," Jim replied with a smirk, before walking back to his desk. As he sat down, he and Pam exchanged glances, both excited for what the day would bring.

When it was break time, Jim got up from his desk and gave a knowing look to Pam, before walking out of the office. Pam followed him out a few moments later, before they met up in the parking lot. Jim called Dwight's desk phone on his cell, and Dwight thankfully answered.

"Dwight Schrute?", Dwight enquired. "Good afternoon, Mr. Schrute," Jim said, making his voice deeper than usual as Pam covered her mouth to conceal her laughter. "My name is… James… Hanks, I'm calling on behalf of… Hanks… and Sons." Jim shrugged his shoulders at Pam, who mouthed "wow".

"How can I help you?", Dwight asked. "Well, Mr. Schrute, our paper is currently sold to us by Staples, but a friend of mine told me that _your _company could give us a better deal," Jim said, receiving a thumbs up from Pam.

"Your friend is right," Dwight said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. "We'd be willing to sell your paper to you for ten percent less than whatever price Staples is charging you."

"Fantastic!", Jim exclaimed, still maintaining his deep tone. "Would you be willing to meet me in Philadelphia tomorrow? We prefer to do our business in person."

"That's a pretty long drive," Dwight replied, sounding uncertain. "I'd be out of the office for five hours. I could do _a lot _of business in that time."

"Well if you do, our business is all yours, and you'll be able to tell your boss that you stole a client from Staples," Jim stated, trying to push Dwight in the right direction.

"Very well, I will meet with you tomorrow," Dwight said. Jim's eyes lit up, and he pumped his fist, letting Pam know that their plan was a success. "Where would you like to meet?"

"Do you have a pen?", Jim asked. "Of course," Dwight replied, scrambling to find a pen and paper, as Jim looked at what was written on the palm of his hand. "Meet me at 9 Snyder Avenue at noon," Jim said. "I will see you there," Dwight said with a smirk on his face, before putting the phone down, looking very pleased with himself.

Little did he know, he would be driving to Philadelphia tomorrow to sit in Chuck E. Cheese until eventually figuring out that nobody was coming to meet him. Meanwhile, Jim raised his hand in the air for a high five. "Please, Pam," Jim said, mocking Dwight's exchange with Michael earlier. "I did this for you."

Pam burst out laughing, and high-fived Jim, before they went back inside. Once they were back in the office, Jim was greeted at his desk by the same smirk on Dwight's face that he had seen earlier.

"Guess what I'm doing tomorrow, Jim?", Dwight said. "What?", Jim asked, trying to feign his usual uninterested tone. "I'm going to Philadelphia, to meet with Hanks and Sons, to steal them from Staples."

"One of my friends from college works for them," Jim said, trying to make the entirely fictitious company, named after Tom Hanks since he had watched The Green Milelast night, that he thought up on the spot when on the phone to Dwight seem more real. "Nice job, Dwight."

"Thank you, Jim," Dwight said proudly, before getting back to work. Jim looked over at Pam, and the two exchanged wry smiles with each other, having orchestrated their first prank on Dwight.

Jim initially thought about how weird it was that he was actually having _fun _at work, before slipping back into thinking about what had plagued his mind since he started working at Dunder Mifflin Scranton a week ago:

Pam, and the fact that he couldn't be with her.


	8. The Dundies: Part One

"Hey, Jim!"

As usual, Jim was greeted by Pam as he walked into the office. He had been doing his best to arrive at work at 8:42 A.M. every morning, because that's what the time was on his first day when he met Pam in the parking lot, but every time he had walked into the office since then, he had seen her already at her desk.

"_I think I'll get here a little earlier on Monday."_

"Hey!", Jim replied enthusiastically, approaching her desk. "Are you as excited about winning a Dundie tonight as I am?", he asked in a rather sarcastic tone. Last Friday, Michael gathered everyone in the conference room and announced that the following Friday, he would be hosting the first annual 'Dundies', an event where everyone in the office would receive an award in order to "maintain" morale, at Chili's, and attendance was compulsory. Today was Friday.

Pam rolled her eyes and sighed, before they both laughed. As a matter of fact, Jim actually _was _excited about tonight, because he'd be spending time with Pam outside of the office for the first time, even if everyone from the office was going to be there.

"So, is… everyone in the office going?", Jim asked. He was originally going to just ask if Roy was going, but thought better of it.

"I think so," Pam replied. "Michael _did _make it compulsory. I don't think Roy wants to go, though."

"_Good. Let him stay at home. Wherever home is. Hopefully not with Pam."_

"I can't imagine Michael doing anything about it if he didn't go," Jim said with a laugh. "Probably wouldn't end well." Pam laughed, something which always pleased Jim.

"I'll make sure he does," Pam said. Jim forced a nod and a smile, before checking his watch. "I should probably get to my desk," he said, having had enough of talking about Roy. "OK, talk to you later," Pam replied joyfully. Jim took his seat at his desk, with Dwight a few feet away.

"Morning, Dwight," Jim said with minimal enthusiasm. "Good morning, Jim," Dwight replied. "So… what Dundie do you think you're gonna get tonight?", he asked.

"Haven't really thought about it at all," Jim replied, showing no interest whatsoever in talking to his irritable deskmate. "Maybe you won't get one at all because you're new here," Dwight said with a slight smirk. "_I_ wouldn't give you one if I was in charge. You're not worthy of an award yet. Maybe next year… if you're still here."

"Thanks, Dwight," Jim muttered sarcastically before turning on his computer, focusing on that instead of continuing his painful conversation with Dwight. Moments later, Michael walked out of his office with a grin on his face.

"Tonight's the night!", Michael exclaimed, receiving no response from anyone except for Dwight, who punched the air in excitement. "You get a Dundie, you get a Dundie, everybody gets a Dundie!", he bellowed, pointing at various people in the room. After a few awkward moments of silence following his Oprah impression, Michael approached Jim and Dwight's desk, standing between them.

"Tough crowd. T.G.I.F, am I right?", Michael said, awkwardly making conversation. "So right," Dwight answered, nodding his head. "How about T.G.I.T.D? Thank God It's The Dundies," he suggested.

"Doesn't work, five letters is too long," Michael muttered, leaving Dwight slightly bemused. "You, my friend, are gonna _love_ your award," Michael said to Jim, who immediately looked at Dwight with a smirk, angering him.

"Am I gonna love mine?", Dwight leaned forward and asked. Michael rolled his eyes. "Maybe, maybe not, just… concentrate on your work," Michael uttered before walking back into his office, shutting the door behind him.

A few hours later, at break time, Roy walked into the office, approaching Pam's desk. Jim looked more closely at his computer, doing his best to look occupied as opposed to blatantly evesdropping.

"Hey babe," Roy said as he leaned against the desk. "Hey," Pam responded. "Are you coming to Chili's with us tonight?"

"I can't," Roy responded, sounding regretful. "Kenny's only in town for tonight, and he wants to go to Bernie's. I'm sorry, babe."

Pam sighed. "OK," she said, evidently disappointed. "I can still give you a ride there," Roy added. "Cool," Pam replied.

"I'm gonna head back downstairs," Roy announced after a few moments of silence. "Darryl just bought a dartboard so we've got a little tournament going on." Pam simply nodded in response. "Come here," Roy said, leaning further over the desk, and Pam kissed him, albeit somewhat reluctantly, before he left.

As soon as he was gone, Jim got up from his desk and began to walk towards the kitchen, when Pam caught up with him. "Hey," Pam said. "Hey, what's up?" Jim responded. "Roy's not coming tonight, so would it be OK if you gave me a ride home?", Pam asked. "Don't worry about it if you can't."

"Sure, no problem," Jim replied. "Thanks," Pam said with a grin. "Oh, and Roy's playing darts in the warehouse, so I hope it's OK if I eat my lunch with you."

"_That's more than OK, Pam."_

"Of course," Jim said happily, before walking through the kitchen and into the break room with Pam.

So far, not a bad day at all.


End file.
